Michael Jackson’s legacy always attracts the curious. Tuesday, September 26, 2023, an auction was held at the Drouot Hotel, in Paris, for the sale of an accessory from the King of Pop. An iconic piece worn by the singer on March 25, 1983: his very famous hat worn for his very first moonwalk on the stage of the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, a concert given for the 25th anniversary of the record company founded by Berry Gordy, of which Michael Jackson was a member. Michael Jackson performed his hit that day Billie Jean, global success. L’France Media Agency reveals that the famous Fedora was sold for the sum of… 77,640 euros. The hat made of wool and silk and made by Maddest Hatter was estimated between 60,000 and 100,000 euros. A headgear that has an unexpected story. “It was a certain Adam Kelly – whose badge we have for the show on March 25, 1983 – who collected this hat that day, thinking that the singer’s staff was going to come and pick it up, but no“Arthur Perault, general director and co-founder of the gallery organizing the Artpèges event, told AFP.
A tailor-made hat for Michael Jackson
A hat which marks a key moment in the career of Michael Jackson, who died in 2009, recalled the Artpèges gallery which cites a moment “memorable”. “The hat he wore became an important part of music history. During his television appearance in front of millions of spectators, he delivered a fiery version of his hit Billie Jean and has performed his famous moonwalk for the first time live on stage“can we read on their website. In the lining of the Fedora is engraved the inscription “Motown 25 i” and “Michael Jackson”. This is not the first personal item of Michael Jackson to be sold at auction. In 2011, the furniture from the pop star’s home was sold at an auction in Los Angeles – a mirror on which Michael Jackson had written a message of self-encouragement was notably sold for almost $19,000.